The DRHS celebrated Annual Meeting 2020 on the evening of February 2, 2021 via meeting link. At the meeting, brief reports on the accomplishments of 2020 were given by the Board President, Sally Redmond, the Treasurer, David Uitti, and the DRHS Executive Director, Erin McGough. Special Guest speaker, historian Lyle Nyberg, presented on Duxbury’s connections to the Suffrage movement.
Trustee Elections:
Joy Bannon was elected for a term expiring in 2024. Joy Bannon has 2 decades of experience in PR and event planning for non profit and corporate clients, and extensive volunteer experience, including being an active member of the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society serving as a docent and Chairing both KCH Christmas and the Summer Tea Party. Locally, Joy has also volunteered at the Duxbury Public schools and Berrybrook School. Joy is an avid horseback rider and she loves to spend time at the beach or on her family’s boat. Joy graduated from the University of San Diego with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and she resides in Duxbury with her Husband Bryan and her two children Paige and Parker.
Trustees for Re-election:
Paul Wales is nominated for a term expiring in 2024.
Jayne Talmage O’Farrell is nominated for a term expiring in 2024.
Donna Wood is completing her interim board term and is nominated for her first term, expiring in 2024.
Outgoing Trustee:
Amy Annis was honored for her long time service as a 2 term board member. Amy is a 2 term board member and has served as a member of the Collections Committee and the Nominating Committee; in the past year, she took over as Chair of Nominating. Amy is also a long time volunteer in a number of other areas, including education programs. Amy has been a steadfast supporter of preservation and education mission, and we look forward to having her continue as a volunteer in other areas. Thank you, Amy.
Volunteer Recognition Awards
In a typical year at the DRHS, hundreds of volunteers make our efforts possible. This wasn’t a typical year but, perhaps more than other years, it seems appropriate to recognize all of the volunteers who helped us to keep going. In honor of all volunteers, we’d like to recognize a few outstanding ones by presenting our Annual Volunteer Recognition awards.
New Volunteer Award: to Owen & Scott Farrell for their help in property maintenance and clean up at Nathaniel Winsor Jr. and King Caesar Houses. Owen has been a Boy Scout for 4 years and completed the work as a requirement for his Citizenship in the Community merit badge; then he and his father took on some additional projects as well. Owen and Scott, thank you.
Lands and Gardens Award: to The Community Garden Club of Duxbury. A long standing partnership, these amazing volunteers donate their labor, resources, goods and money fundraised to keep both the DRHS gardens and the Town of Duxbury beautiful. Thank you to The Community Garden Club of Duxbury and all of its volunteers.
Activities: to the Duxbury Free Library, Children’s Department. They have been one of our most supportive partners for years, and this year we were grateful for their partnership in a number of programs, including the Story Walk at Bumpus Park for Christmas at King Caesar and the Historic Duxbury Lego Contest. Thank you to this fellow Duxbury institution.
Education: to Barbara Hayes. Education comes in all forms – sometimes reaching out to the public, and sometimes we have to educate ourselves as an organization. Barbara’s lessons in strategic and organizational planning, fundraising and board management were particularly essential this year and we are grateful to her. Thanks, Barbara.
Preservation: to the DRHS Investment Committee, including members Chris Sherman, Sr. (Chair), Dick Morse, David Uitti, John Bear, Ken Johnston, Robert Loring, and David Thompson. The unsung heros of our financial picture, these careful managers of our endowment and investments have long preserved the financial wellness of our organization and ensured our longevity with their acumen and expertise. Thank you, gentlemen.
Volunteer of the Year: a special award given to Mary Ott. The finest of managers, Mary Co Chairs the Historic Gardens Committee and sits on the Properties Committee. In addition to countless hours in our gardens, she was this year was engaged with a number of important projects, including preparing the gardens at King Caesar House for filming and overseeing clean out projects. Mary’s energy and eye for design are unparalleled and we are grateful to have her on our side.
